The Best Regatta Ever?

CHARLESTON, SC (April 15, 2010) -As another week of perfect weather warms the water on Charleston Harbor, sailors throughout North America continue to relive the near-perfect conditions experienced by all fleets at 2010 Charleston Race Week. Emails, news stories, Facebook comments, and internet posts continue to praise the regatta, the city, and the weather. "We had four days (including a practice day) of perfect conditions, the PRO for the Viper/Melges 20 fleet did a perfect job of setting the race course and didn't waste any time...and finally, the parties were epic," one attendee wrote. "Good bands, great food, and copious amounts of free Goslings' Rum made sure everyone had an amazing time. CRW is doing it right," said another.

Race Week Media and Social Networks Share The Experience

The internet has changed the way people experience events like Charleston Race Week, and organizers have worked hard to use those new distribution channels to help spread the word about this great event. "Learning the ins and outs of Facebook, YouTube, and other social pathways has been a bit of a challenge, but we realized a couple of years ago that this was the future of regatta promotion," said Rachel Stewart, Event Coordinator. "What we didn't realize was how these tools would grow and change, and how much help and content our own fans and competitors would contribute to the effort," she added. Charleston Race Week's Facebook fan page currently has over 1,200 fans, and organizers use it to update the sailing community with news, pictures, and videos of the event, and can be found at www.Facebook.com/CharlestonRaceWeek. "We've found that using social networks to post our official event info spreads it a lot further than relying solely on press releases and the traditional media," said Sara Pappas, Marketing and Donor Relations Manager. "We're not going to abandon our official website, but we're committed to remaining on the cutting edge of web-based communication to keep Charleston Race Week growing."

High Definition Highlight Video, Hundreds of Photos Added

For the first time, Charleston Race Week can be seen in 1080p HD quality thanks to the work of Event Videographer Starboard Tack Productions. The video is currently available on YouTube at this link. Competitors can view and order prints of every boat on all four courses online at the Official Photography Sponsors Allen and Daniela's PhotoBoat.com website, where thousands of photos are sorted in folders by boat name for easy viewing. Orders before April 21st receive a 15% discount with the coupon code "CRW2010." Event Photographer Meredith Block has added over 300 downloadable photos to the Official CRW Photo Galleries as well, which can be seen at this link.

Full race results are available here. Charleston Race Week dates for 2011 are April 14-17, with over 200 boats expected for the South's biggest sailing event. Visit www.CharlestonRaceWeek.com to keep informed and stay tuned for more news from this great regatta.

Charleston Race Week is an annual premier regatta for inshore and offshore racing sailboats 20' - 70' in length and is organized by the South Carolina Maritime Foundation and Charleston Ocean Racing Association. The 16th edition of this event, the fastest growing regatta on the east coast, will be held April 14-17, 2011, headquartered at the Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Visit www.CharlestonRaceWeek.com for more information.

The South Carolina Maritime Foundation owns and operates the Spirit of South Carolina tall ship. The Foundation's mission is to offer effective, unique educational opportunities for students, focusing on the history, math, science and literature of our water resources and encouraging personal responsibility, contribution to the community and stewardship of the environment. Since its first season of programming in 2007, over 5,000 students have been served. With the support of local partnerships, the South Carolina Maritime Foundation is able to generate funds to keep these exceptional programs in place. Visit www.SCMaritime.org for more information.

Sponsor Highlights:

Evolution Sails is dedicated to keeping up with and engineering the latest sail designs. The entire sailmaking process is proudly manufactured by Evolution Sails' experts instead of exporting the sails to outside sources for membrane production. Evolution firmly believes in selling the best sails not the most. Order today at 888.770.7245 or online at www.EvolutionSails.com.

Charleston Yachting is a diversified direct marketing company that sells a broad line of products and accessories for sailing, including marine electronics, furling systems, blocks, cordage, clothing, hardware, and rigging fittings. Visit www.CharlestonYachting.com for more information.

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